1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to improvements in battens for sails of boats and other sailcraft. More particularly, it concerns novel forms of sail batten luff caps, improved sail battens comprising such caps and new sail/batten combinations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As explained in my previous U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,669, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, battens are extensively used with sails for sailcraft, e.g., sailboats, iceboats, wind propelled scooters, sail-boards, etc., to support and/or shape the sails. The sails with which battens are used include lugsails, lateen sails, square-rigged sails, jib-headed (Marconi rig) sails and gaff rig sails. This invention pertains to battens for jib-headed sails.
Jib-headed sails may be divided into several classes with respect to battens, namely, unbattened sails, partial batten sails and full battened sails. The battens serve, in part, to support roach (excess cloth) formed into the leech of the sail. Hence, sails, e.g., those often used on cruising boats, made without roach do not need battens so are unbattened.
In racing sailboats, iceboats and other racing sailcraft, high performance is demanded of the sails. The sails for such sailcraft are usually made with a high degree of roach and require battens to provide proper leech shape. The partial batten type sails use battens that are carried in pockets extending forward from the leech only a minor length of their chords of the sails. In contrast, full battened (FB) sails use battens carried in pockets that extend all the way from the leech to the luff of the sail. The full type (FT) battens are longer than their respective pockets and by compressing such batten in their pockets between the luff and the leech, the battens can be caused to bow. The greater the compression, the greater the bow creating larger camber in the sail. Hence, compression on FT battens is used by the sailcraft operator to control sail shape to obtain maximum performance from the sail for the prevailing wind conditions.
Compression on FT battens drives their fore ends into the leading edge of the batten pocket and into the sail luff. Consequently, the sail cloth in the pocket and the luff is subjected to excessive wear, often resulting in the batten producing a hole in the sail at the luff. Such damage to the sail is particularly severe where FT battens are used with jib sails, e.g., the foresails on sloop and cutter rigs, because of the violent movements such foresails make in tacking and other maneuvers of sailcraft on which they are carried. Hence, a special need exists for providing means to eliminate excessive luff wear by FT battens in jib sails.